Dragons in the Sun
by donahermurphy
Summary: Fire Lord Ozai favors a more permanent solution to the problem of Zuko, and the spirits disagree.
1. Rocks and Other Things

**Fandom:** Avatar: The Last Airbender

**Rating**: PG-13

**Warnings: **AU

**Chapter Summary**: "Banished" turns out to be a euphemism for a rather painful death. Zuko takes this surprisingly well.

* * *

**Two Weeks after the Agni Kai- Day One**

They cut off his hair.

They cut off his hair, and they smashed up the burn salve Uncle had slipped into his pack, and they left him in the middle of nowhere to die. He tried to fight, this time. (He should have fought before, he _should _have.)

It didn't work.

The place he was stranded on was smaller than the size of the ship, and it looked more like a pile of stones than an actual island. There were a few stubby strands of green peeking out from among the rocks, and no other living things that he could see.

Zuko wondered when he'd be hungry enough to eat them. Probably in a couple of days.

He spent the first few hours sitting numbly and watching the tide come in, wondering how long it would take to die of starvation. Or dehydration. Or overexposure.

Agni, that would be an ironic way for him to go.

Would he have a funeral, he wondered? Maybe if Uncle tracked down the island, he'd come in time to burn some of Zuko's bones on a pyre before the sea-vultures got them.

Not likely, though.

The past two weeks were hazy with pain and delirium, but he was pretty sure Uncle had tried to come with him. Had stayed by his bedside with soft words and drinks that dulled the pain. (More because he was sure no one else would have bothered than because he recognized the voice.)

Yes, Uncle had tried to come with him. There was a hazy memory of yelling. Father had said-

Zuko stood up, angry at this stupid place and these stupid rocks and the way half his face still screamed in pain. He didn't want to think. He wanted to _do _something.

And he wasn't going to die here like some pathetic mewling child, just calmly accepting his death. He was heir to-

He was a Prince of-

He was a firebender of the House of S-

He was the son of Lady Ursa, and a true child of fire, and _that_ could never be taken from him.

Zuko gathered the shards of the broken jars together, saving what he could. He emptied one entirely, and set it out amongst the rocks. It wouldn't collect much water, probably. But maybe it would collect enough.

He spent the afternoon walking in knee-deep water with the knife his Uncle had given him, searching for fish and wishing he'd bothered to learn how peasants caught their food. He was pretty sure they didn't try to catch fish with knives, but he couldn't think of anything better.

Of course he didn't catch anything, no matter how many hours he spent trying.

It was idiotic to think he might.

And it hadn't rained yet, and it didn't look like it was going to, and the salt water he'd been splashed with was making the skin under his bandages sting.

When Zuko fell asleep that night, he didn't cry.

* * *

**Two Weeks after the Ag****ni Kai- Day Two**

**Zuko's Rock**

Zuko didn't cry the next morning, either. He _did_ think about what he had to do if he wanted to live. And… maybe it was more honorable to accept his fate, but he did want to live. He didn't want to die here. So what did he need?

Food. Unlikely.

Water. He'd only get some if it rained.

A way to get off this rock. Well, that would be pure luck; he certainly wouldn't be able to do it himself.

What would Uncle tell him to do? Uncle would quote proverbs and talk about spirits and destiny. Not much help.

What would Azula do? He didn't know. Probably scream at someone, or at the ocean or something. And with his luck, he'd piss of a spirit just enough for them to throw a storm his way-

Zuko froze, testing the edges of an impossible idea.

_I've never been lucky. But maybe if I'm _polite_…_

Well, it wasn't as if he didn't have enough rocks to make a spirit-shrine. He knew enough for _that_.

The rocks on this island were _strange_. It was a good think he'd decided to pay his respects to the spirits, because some of these boulders were too weird-looking to be anything else.

Zuko ended up making the shrine out of pebbles and wet sand from the shore, knowing it probably looked like the most pathetic thing ever created. He put a scrap of cloth from his sleeve atop the altar and lit it on fire, saying a quick prayer to Agni and any other unnamed kami in the area and asking for guidance. A chance to get off this island, and to find his destiny.

(And he didn't want to be alone anymore, but he knew better than to ask for that out loud.)

…Hopefully it counted as an offering. He really didn't have anything else to give. He sat quietly and tried to clear his mind, letting the flame rise and fall with his breath.

After a few minutes, one of the smooth, egg-shaped boulders wobbled, and Zuko called more heat without thinking.

"What-"he yelped as he saw the cracks forming.

In the half-light of the rising sun, he saw a ghostly, fierce dragon step forward.

Oh, Agni, no.

He really was going to die.

There was a dragon-spirit, and rock-spirits, and he had no luck, of course they hated him, everyone in the entire Fire Nation hated him now, an exile should have known better than to draw the spirits' attention-

The dragon stared at him, and seemed to smirk. It looked beyond him, off into the water, and opened its jaws with a roar that sounded like a cat-wolf howl, calling others to battle.

Then it turned, and breathed fire on the boulders.

There were more cracking sounds, and the dragon-spirit faded away.

Everything went black.

Something was licking his face when he woke up. Zuko could feel a dry, raspy tongue edging over onto his bandages.

He tried to bring his hand up, to call on flame and ward off the creature, but his head was so heavy and tired and slow moving, and he couldn't manage even a wisp of flame.

Fingers brushed scales.

[_curiosity/warmth/love/hunger-for-sun/newness/mama?_]

Zuko woke up really quickly after that.

"What?" he yelped. Croaked, really. The dragon- there was a dragon! - was a little smaller than him, but not by much. And it wasn't budging from its spot on his chest.

[_Mama? Concern/warmth/belonging._] It leaned in for a nuzzle, then padded off his chest to stare at him with wide gold eyes.

Zuko was- he couldn't think. The world didn't make sense anymore. This didn't _happen_.

The dragons were _dead_.

But not this one, apparently. It was white with glints of silvery-blue, and was probably quite little, for a dragon.

And it thought Zuko was its _mother_. This made no sense.

[_Come-see! Nestmates-hatching! Mama come-see!_]

Oh, Agni.

…And there were more of them. Not out of their eggs yet, but they would be soon.

"I'm not your mother," he managed, backing away a step.

The dragon turned soulful- and suddenly wary- gold eyes on him.

[_This-one… unwanted? Not in-pack with this-one?_]

He wasn't quite sure what the dragon was getting at, but it didn't sound happy. It occurred to Zuko that he might have just moved himself from the category of "family member" to "possible meal."

"Maybe… an older brother?" he suggested. "I might be able to help take care of you, but I'm not really fully grown yet. And I'm _not_ your mama," he added emphatically.

He might get eaten, but he wanted to be firm on this last point.

Oh, spirits. Had he just agreed to take care of them? All of them? He was so doomed.

No wonder the royal family let Fire Sages deal with the spirits, if _t__his_ was what happened when you asked for help.

The little dragon was quiet. Thinking, maybe.

(Hopefully, not about what Zuko tasted like.)

[_Older nestmate!_] The little dragon yelped gleefully, pouncing on Zuko.

Ouch. The rocks dug into his back again, but he had to admit the dragon was lighter than it looked.

[_Little nestmates!_] It exclaimed, looking toward the hatching eggs. _Us-older, them-little!_ It puffed up with pride.

[We_ protect nestmates! We _older_ nestmates!_]

…It was a pretty enthusiastic little guy; he had to give it that. And if it was pretty strong, if the bruises on his back were any indication.

He grunted as he got up, preparing to give it a piece of his mind- then sighed as it soundlessly nuzzled his hand, giving off waves of [_comfort/sorry/nestmates-us?_]

They'd probably make better siblings than Azula, anyway. And he _had_ asked not to get stuck on this rock alone.

Two hours later, the other two dragons- one gold with a little red, the other a mottled dark green- had hatched and been enthusiastically greeted by their older sibling.

…Their actual older sibling, not Zuko. _He _was busy currently wondering how to feed them all, whether they might have a chance to fly off this island at some point, and where to go if they did.

Zuko had learned about the Earth Kingdom from his tutors, but they'd never exactly covered safe places for dragons to live. Dragons were supposed to live in the Fire Nation.

…Except that the Fire Lord had ordered the dragons to die, and he _couldn't_ bring them there. They'd be killed on sight. Their only advantage was that the Fire Lord thought the dragons were dead. He wouldn't be looking for them- no one in the Fire Nation would. But if they went somewhere with people, and word traveled… they'd be toast.

Zuko realized that he wasn't quite sure if he was just talking about dragons, anymore. He wasn't under any illusions about his 'banishment.' Those soldiers had had _orders_. Maybe secret orders, orders Uncle Iroh and the other nobles hadn't known about. But only the Fire Lord would have had the authority to issue them.

Father had wanted him to die, and not come back.

Zuko swallowed. If Zuko did come back, or showed up somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, if Father even found out he was still alive…

He shuddered, touching the edge of his bandages, and tried to think about something else.

Uncle wouldn't want him to get hurt. Uncle cared about him, he was pretty sure. Like Mom had cared.

In a way, that made it worse.

If Zuko got caught inside the Fire Nation- if Zuko was recognized and reported alive, anywhere in the world- Uncle might try to protect him. Like Mom had protected him.

No.

He wouldn't let that happen. Not to Uncle, too. Zuko wasn't going to pull someone else into his own mess.

He still had that much honor left.

…He just felt like such a failure. Uncle had been so lonely, after Lu Ten died, and now Zuko wouldn't even be around to help. If he had just listened…

Well, there was nothing he could do about it now. Besides maybe pray. And he wasn't sure if that was such a good idea anymore.

The Fire Sages had said the royal family had a special connection with Agni, but Zuko hadn't thought it meant… well, anything particularly interesting, except that some of them were better firebenders.

Apparently, he'd been wrong. Again.

Although if that was the case… maybe Agni _wanted_ the dragons back. Maybe that was Zuko's destiny now.

Maybe, even if he had failed his father, even if he couldn't be a good heir for his people… he did still have a purpose. A second chance, from Agni himself.

He couldn't afford to screw it up.

"Ahh!" The oldest and most enthusiastic dragon pounced on Zuko again.

[_Older-nestmate?Nesting-ground other-place. Where other? "Older brother," yes? Where nest?_]

Zuko stared at the little white dragon, utterly confused. It seemed to be… asking about him?

"Well, yes. I'm um, sort of your older brother now? If you want me to be, I mean. And I'm… well, I'm Pr- I'm Zuko. Son of Lady Ursa and- and I'm from a place that's very far away."

Hopefully he hadn't messed up too badly. He had _no clue_ what the little dragon was trying to get at.

[_"Lady Ursa?" Show. Tell._] Its voice was curious. Excited.

The other two dragons nudged themselves forward, bringing their snouts under his hands.

Zuko blinked, his throat tight as he remembered a soft voice. Kind words and long, pretty hair. She'd tried to protect him. She'd tried to protect _him_, and it was _his_ fault she was gone and he wanted her back, and why hadn't she come back, if she'd _been there_ this never would have happened-

The green dragon's voice was mournful.[ _Mama._ _Brave_. _Nest-defender. Fought-for-fledgling_]

Zuko wiped away tears, and the little red and gold dragon whimpered when he took his hand away from its snout.

Gold whiskers reached for the side of his face, and he was too tired to flinch.

[_Nestmates-together,_] it chirped in his mind.[_Nest together. Hide together. Fly together. If fight, fight together. Older nestmate _not _fight predators alone._] There was a picture of- of Father, at the Agni Kai. He did flinch, this time. Gold whiskers reached for him again, and the ends of his bandages.[ _If hurt, other nestmates protect_.]

Azula wouldn't have protected him-

There was a sense of searching, and of dissatisfaction. Anger, but not at him.

[Bad _younger-nestmate. Not loyal to nest-mother! Hurt nestmate in _not_-play. _Bad_. Older-nestmate _here_ now. Here-stay_.]The gold dragon was emphatic, possessively sending its whiskers all over Zuko. [_Old-nest place-of-_sickness_. Not-safe! No go back!_]

Uncle had tried-

[_No-fight,_] the green dragon grumbled.

"No," Zuko said. "_I_ accepted the challenge! _I_ said I was ready, was old enough to act as an adult! It wasn't Uncle's fault I didn't listen." His shoulders slumped.

"And no one could have fought the Fire Lord," Zuko continued. The green dragon gave him a _look_, and he remembered what Mom had done. "Not in front of everybody. Not like that," he whispered.

The little white dragon prodded him. [_Older-nestmate no-listen/watch elder? Foolishness/troublefinding/mistakes? Lost-now?_]

"Pretty much," Zuko agreed.

[_Elder no-here,] _the green dragon observed, somewhat morosely. [_Alone/no-elders_.]

The gold dragon snorted.[ _Nestmates-together!_] It cried indignantly, hissing.

"Hey. Hey, calm down, you two," Zuko said, glancing at the white dragon for support. He didn't really want to end up in the middle of a fight. (Literally, both of the dragons were draped all over him.)

And would they be doing this often? If the dragons would be constantly getting into arguments, maybe he should at least decide to call them _something_. If only so he could have something convenient to yell when he tried to separate them.

Wait. Wait, was he crazy? All this "older nestmate" stuff must be getting to his head, if he was seriously considering how to separate dragons _while they fought. _No way Zuko was in shape for that.

[_Playfight careful,] _the white dragon reminded them. [_Older-nestmate hurt._] It nuzzled Zuko, who fell over. Again.

"Okay that wasn't quite what I- hey, wait? How did you understand what I was talking about before? I mean, what I wasn't talking about."

The white dragon cocked its head. [_Mouth-sounds important?_] it asked innocently. A little too innocently.

"I'm not falling for that one," Zuko snorted. He realized he was smiling, a little bit.

It felt weird.

Arguably less weird than having dragons listening inside his head- though if that was the case, why did they still want to be… uh, nestmates? He was a human, and not even a very good firebender. How could he help them get food, or learn how to hunt, or find out what was safe for them to eat, or- or anything?

The white dragon sighed again, with the air of one dealing with a particularly stubborn bit of idiocy.

(Between Mom and Uncle, Zuko recognized the expression well.)

[_Older-nestmate wants belonging. Younger-nestmates want belonging. Belonging-together. Strength-together. Older-nestmate warm. Warm-mind. Hurt-now. Still, warm-mind. Safe-feel. Good nestmate, will-be._]

"So, you felt my mind and it was… nice?" Zuko asked, swallowing a lump. They wanted him. Not just any random human coming along. Him, specifically. That was…

[_Nestmates-together_!]The green dragon chirped, sounding cheerful and brash and not at all like itself. Then it put its whiskers all over the un-bandaged side of Zuko's face.

The gold dragon sulked and glared at it, not at all pleased with the imitation.

Zuko snickered.

* * *

**Two Weeks After the Agni Kai- Days Three and Four**

**Zuko's Rock**

The dragons couldn't fly yet, which Zuko supposed made sense. Oddly enough, they could swim. And splash him all over with water. And catch fish.

…Not that many fish, admittedly. But they'd saved one for him.

This was why he was currently attempting cooks cubes of a mostly-cleaned fish with a handful of fire and the knife Uncle had given him. Agni, he didn't even have a _stick_.

It was… well, it wasn't going well. He scowled at the flames in his open palm, bending the fire closer to his would-be meal. Zuko looked up to see the dragons staring at him.

[_Tiny-fire_] the green dragon remarked, slightly dubiously.

Zuko flushed. "I'm trying to cook it, not burn it to cinders," he snapped. "Why don't _you_ try it then, if you're so great."

The green dragon drew back, hurt, and Zuko felt immediately guilty. They were just… their voices felt so _young_ and they _liked_ him and he always messed everything up, he'd never be as good as Azula-

[_Bad nestmate_!] the gold dragon chirped, and Zuko felt something break.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying- I didn't mean," his throat was too tight to get out the words properly, but was interrupted by another nuzzle from the gold dragon.

It seemed confused. [_Bad nestmate_,] it tried again, with a picture of Azula, this time.[_You-ours. Ours-better._]

"Oh," Zuko said, flushing. "I'm still sorry," he managed to get out, speaking to the green dragon again. "I'm not very good at firebending yet," he said, and it was that last word that felt like a lie.

When would he have the chance to get better?

[_Silly-glum nestmate_] the white dragon told him, giving him a firm poke with a tendril. _[Little dragon, little fire. Grow later.]_

Zuko blinked. "How do you guys know so much? You were born- what, a few hours ago?"

A snort. [_Spirits. Dragons. Not foolish-humans_]

He flushed again, but was cut off with another nuzzle before he could protest.[ _Nestmate-learns _with_. Nestmate-grows._]

That last message had the definite feeling of placing Zuko in another category. One not currently occupied by "foolish humans."

It... felt kind of nice, actually. Although these guys were _way_ too affectionate.

Zuko woke to find that he and the dragons had somehow acquired another island, peacefully settled not yards from their own.

It was green and lush, a respectable distance above water, and hosted vast trees and what seemed to be glimpses of wildlife. And it made the island Zuko was standing on- a desolate-looking rock already- look like a bleak deathtrap in comparison.

Zuko regarded the apparition warily, scowling. It was the most obvious trap he'd ever seen in his life and he _still_ wanted to swim over there.

Agni, this was creepy.

Well. Whatever spirit-monster was planning to eat him would just have to go without its meal for today, because-

_Oh, no._

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Zuko screamed, sprinting into the surf, and starting to swim across the distance. Stupid, naïve, idiotic… they'd barely been hatched, of _course_ they didn't know anything about the real world yet. And it was going to get them _killed_.

He could see them merrily swimming around the island and climbing up to rest on the lush grass- oh, he'd been _much_ too lenient yesterday, letting them go around fishing and… and _frolicking_ about on their own in the water.

They had _no clue_. None.

They might talk about fighting predators, but what was the first thing they did when they saw another intelligent creature? Invite it to be part of their family.

Islands that appeared out of nowhere, suspiciously full of plant life and possible food? Oh, of course it must be a _good_ thing. Let's go ahead without asking the human if it's a good idea and just _assume_ he'll catch up.

Water steamed off him at the thought, and he swam harder.

Zuko finally, _finally_ landed on the ground with a gasp, angry and terrified all at once. (Angry _because_ he was terrified.)

But he couldn't let it slow him down, he thought, letting branches whip past him as he ran into the woods. He had to find them.

He stormed into the woods, angry sparks shooting from his fingertips and steam shooting from his nose. It took him almost five minutes to find the dragons, as they'd gone even deeper into the island during his swim over. Agni, they probably hadn't even heard his warning.

"What were you three _thinking_?" he yelled, spotting them at last.

The white dragon at least had the sense to look appropriately guilty, but the gold one was happily ignoring the crazy human as it pulled up berries, and the green one even seemed mildly indignant.

"Islands don't just appear! Not like this! It could be trap, just getting us all in the right position to- to- to do who _knows_ what!" he finished, exasperated.

Zuko tried to take a deep breath and calm down, then remembered that he was gasping for air. "You can't just go off on your own like that, it's not _safe_," he told them, attempting to sound less frantic. "And we're getting off this island right now," he said sternly.

"At least until we figure out a little more about it," he muttered under his breath. Those berries _did_ look good. But he wasn't about to eat any right now, who only knew what the berries on a mysteriously moving island could do. They were probably cursed, or something.

"Come on," he said, dragging the gold dragon toward shore and ignoring its lackluster protests as the other two followed.

Then he stopped, right at the water's edge. The water which was behaving… very strangely. He dragged his eyes up, looking for the rock of an island that should only be yards away.

It wasn't there.

It wasn't _there_.

They (well, mostly Zuko) managed a small campfire that night, as Zuko waited morosely for something to try and eat them.

Thank Agni he'd brought his knife. It might have needed a cleaning after that impromptu dip in salt water, but if he'd had the foresight to leave it when he'd gone chasing after the dragons, he'd have lost it for good.

But other than the need on constantly be on guard for some kind of lethal attack, finding the island (or the island finding them) had been a great stroke of luck.

Zuko might not have found a fresh source of water yet, but the berries he'd scavenged seemed to stave off the worst of the thirst. The dragons seemed to be managing fairly well on that count, too- although they'd had live game rather than berries, and a nice long soak in the sunlight. Zuko wasn't about to let them go off looking for fish, though, not when there was no guarantee of finding the damn island again.

This time they'd listened.

He suspected they were feeling guilty over the realization that, if Zuko hadn't followed them quite so quickly, he wouldn't have made it onto the island with everyone else.

Truth be told, he was mostly over it.

He might have been angry, even furious, before, but... well, the dragons _were_ barely hatched. And while they might have some fancy dragon spirit-knowledge he could only guess at, the idea that sudden landscape changes were not a good thing didn't seem to be among it.

…The fact that they'd taken the possibility of another predator in the area as an excuse to cuddle up next to him again didn't exactly hurt, either. Not that they seemed to need excuses.

Now they were being rather ridiculously overprotective, actually. It had been all Zuko could do to convince them that yes, it was a perfectly good idea to split into teams of two to hunt, and that he would really rather have everyone paired with a partner than facing the risk of one dragon hunting alone, or being surrounded by three hungry dragons because no one wanted him out of their sight long enough to get food.

Zuko scowled at the fire.

But this development- the constant cuddles and nuzzles and warm messages of [_belonging_]- was only mildly annoying. Perhaps somewhat understandable, and the most practical option under the circumstances.

He did _not_ think it was _sweet_.


	2. Thrones

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own the concept or characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**Chapter**** Summary**: In which Fire Lord Ozai experiences some karmic backlash for what he did to Zuko, much earlier than canon. Follows "Rocks and Other Things" in the Dragonsverse.

* * *

**Three Weeks after the Agni Kai- Day Five**

**Fire Nation, Capital City, Throne Room**

Fire Sage Kanaye watched the preparations of the court and frowned.

It was customary for the Fire Lord himself to hold the dawn ceremony several times a year, but not usually on such short notice.

The dawn ceremony, which served to solidify the connection between the Royal Family and the sun, was usually heralded by a carefully planned measurement of celebration. Shows of firebending prowess, traditional tales of the lives of the Royals, booths selling incense offerings for Agni… all of these accompanied the ceremonies of the Fire Lord.

Fire Lord Ozai in particular had been fond of more ostentatious displays, going to great lengths to strengthen the Fire Lord's claim on Agni's strength and power. A wise political move.

…And perhaps that was why Fire Lord Ozai had announced the date of the next dawn ceremony as today. He knew the shifting webs of court life better than anyone, and reaffirming the Fire Lord's strength and spiritual authority now would go a long way towards stifling... certain tales, and reassuring any doubts that might have awakened after the events of three weeks past.

Not that anyone would be so foolish as to speak against the Fire Lord, of course not. But some had been bold enough to show sympathy for Prince Zuko's fate, and for the members of the court to even risk showing the implied criticism inherent in such a comment… well, it was unusual. And worrisome.

Likely some if it was General Iroh's doing, and he was too influential, still, to move against directly. But there were other ways to hinder the man's plans. Some of the more perceptive members of the nobility had already noted that the dawn ceremony would keep the old man in sight of his brother and the rest of court, and away from the temptation of training a rival heir to Ozai's own chosen.

As a member of the Royal House, General Iroh was required to attend such an event if at all possible. It was common knowledge he had planned on accompanying his nephew, even after the banishment, and rumor reported that the man had sold portions of his estate with just that in mind. At least, before Fire Lord Ozai had informed him otherwise.

Prince Zuko was banished forever, by the Fire Lord's decree. Unless the Fire Lord revoked that decree, and Fire Lord Ozai had never been known to change his mind about anything.

Of course, Prince Zuko could still be trained as heir. Because, as everyone well knew, if both Fire Lord Ozai and Crown Princess Azula perished, Fire Lord Zuko could conceivably revoke _his own_ banishment.

(As could Fire Lord Iroh.)

_Yes_, thought Kanaye, looking out among the crowds. General Iroh had all the marks of a desperate man, aging decades since the Agni Kai of three weeks past. He could see why Ozai wanted him in sight.

But, dawn ceremony or not, General Iroh wasn't going to stay long. Likely he was already planning a way to catch up with Prince Zuko even now.

However, the Fire Lord's plan was still a good tactic to reassure the nobles who had witnessed the Prince Zuko's moment of disgrace. And- if he had the audacity to mention Prince Zuko's banishment during the ceremony itself- it would lend Agni's own authority to the Fire Lord's decision. Making it that much harder for any succeeding Fire Lords to revoke it.

…And was that a glimpse of Fire Lord Ozai now, majestic in heavy red robes and elaborate gold cuffs? He was striding purposefully towards Agni's eternal flame, silhouetted against the open double doors by the sunlight just peeking over the horizon. The address to Agni was one of the more malleable segments of the ceremony, and Kanaye wondered how Ozai planned to turn this to his advantage.

"Agni, your fire brings strength and life to the Fire Nation," Ozai began, his voice powerful and carrying. "For centuries, my ancestors have served you faithfully, showing our Nation and our world the might of your cleansing fire. And it is the duty of every Fire Lord to ensure their heir has the unflinching courage and fierce spirit necessary to lead our people to glory," Ozai continued.

Fire Sage Kanaye blinked, impressed in spite of himself. He took in the silent, attentive stares of the kneeling nobles and the Fire Lord's calm stance as he addressed Agni's fire, not yet taking his place on the throne. To imply that Prince Zuko's disgrace was a blow cast in Agni's honor… that claim might not be as widely accepted among some of the more devout Sages, but it was likely to be extremely popular amongst the peasantry.

"My son was tested, and he failed," the Fire Lord proclaimed, standing regal and majestic before the leaping flames. "Some here may say I acted harshly," he said- and more than one noble went still behind him, rabbit-deers caught in the gaze of a lion-dog. "But it is the nature of fire to be harsh and swift in its punishments," he continued, raising the flames higher with the twist of his will.

Fire Sage Kanaye almost frowned. While bending the sacred flame of Agni was well within the rights of the Fire Lord, the manner in which he was forcing it to respond to his speech seemed… slightly disrespectful.

The Fire Lord ascended to the throne, and sat upon it, the flames easily parting for him. "And so I rendered Agni's judgment," he continued, seeming to speak to the flames and the kneeling audience both.

Now Kanaye hid a wince. The older Sages would _not_ be pleased with this variation on the ceremony, and he foresaw being ordered to spend many extra hours placating (supposedly) restless spirits within the palace. For a mortal to address Agni at the same time as the people he ruled? To claim knowledge of Agni's judgment?

It… well, it wasn't forbidden, for a Fire Lord. But it certainly wasn't an advisable way to behave. Spirits didn't always appreciate such boldness.

…Then again, it was clear the nobles of court _loved_ it. And the commoners would be even more easily swayed, for certain. By the end of the week, Prince Zuko's name would be cursed throughout the capital for disgracing Agni.

"Prince Zuko was unworthy to _ever_ act as Fire Lord!" Ozai, all but shouted, bending the flame to the height of three men.

Kanaye could hear the approval of the crowd, but he ignored the soft murmurs and crackling flames as he struggled to get a better glimpse-

There was a sick silence.

Agni's flame, Agni's _eternal_ flame, the basis for the very throne room itself, the sign of grace shared with the Fire Lord and through him, the nation… had gone out.

The throne of the Fire Lord was _cold_ and _dead_ and _ashes_, and Fire Lord Ozai's suddenly blank expression- a petrifying sight, promising execution and treachery for all who'd witnessed _his_ disgrace- could not be as terrifying as this sign of Agni's disfavor.

**Three Weeks after the Agni Kai- Day Five**

**Fire Nation, Capital City**, **Palace Interior**

It was hours later, and Iroh couldn't _think_.

Agni had spoken. Had shown his anger more clearly than _any_ historical record Iroh had even heard of, when even Sozin's rampage through the Air Temples had not garnered the public disfavor of the Sun Spirit.

Iroh had loved his nephew like a son, but could one royal's banishment truly cause _this_? Banishment wasn't permanent, whatever the Fire Lord proclaimed. Perhaps Prince Zuko's destiny had been… diverted, somewhat, by that horrific Agni Kai and the following events, but surely Agni himself would not have to intervene so directly? Surely things could still be set right?

Iroh didn't feel hopeful, though, or even confused. He felt _chill_.

And, as he headed toward Ozai's private audience with his advisors, he knew why.

Babbling voices, and the desperate attempts of his younger brother to preserve some measure of dignity and strength.

"My Lord, you must-"

"I must _nothing_!"

"But the boy's banishment, the spirits have spoken!"

"I _refuse_ to-"

The Fire Lord was interrupted.

"He'd dead now, isn't he," Iroh said, voice flat.

He knew his brother. Ozai could turn almost any situation to his advantage. He could _easily_ have called for his son to be returned to him, dismissing Agni's ultimate sign of disfavor as a warning only. Perhaps even turning it into an advantage, proving that Agni was not hesitant to speak directly to the Fire Lord, and thus preventing him from making the mistakes of mere mortals.

Zuko would have been _grateful_. Zuko would have been weeping, _worshipful_, determined to prove himself to his father once more, if given even the slimmest chance of "forgiveness." (For the slight of speaking his mind.)

Yes, Ozai could have turned this to his advantage.

Would have, if Zuko was alive.

Iroh knew, better than anyone, that there were some mistakes that could never be taken back. That could never be put right.

His heart ashes, General Iroh left the home of the boy who had once called him uncle.


	3. Ghostly Regard

**Ghostly Regard**

**AN:** My apologies for the delay. This chapter inspired some significant writers block. Many, many thanks for all of the lovely reviews- I was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming reception.

* * *

On the third day aboard the Lion Turtle, the human fell into a restless sleep and did not wake.

The spirit of the Dragon Mother watched silently, and wished she had something to eviscerate. Preferably the mad perversion of a Fire Lord that had harmed this young one, or –better yet- the shade of the one who had ordered the extinction of her kind.

But times were desperate, and she could not allow her temper to get the better of her. Attracting malicious spirits with her rage… no. Her hatchlings were too young and ill-protected to survive such an encounter unharmed, especially with their human companion so ill. And there were limits to what aid she could give them. Dragons were, after all, mostly mortal creatures, and the greatest of their powers passed with their deaths. Unfortunately for her hatchlings, she knew of no living dragons that _could_ help them.

Why else would she have allowed her little ones to be used in Agni's plan, and trusted their well-being to one frail human child, and a creature of near-terminal ambivalence? Lion-Turtles and dragons did not have the most peaceful of histories. (Nor for that matter, did dragons and humans, but at least some of _them_ could claim to be children of Agni. Could be understood, in a fashion.)

Which didn't mean she was exactly overjoyed that to have to acknowledge a human as kin, now. Or that she would have supported Agni's plan in different circumstances. The creation of a Fire Lord worthy of the title… it was a human affair. The mistreatment of a loyal young human by his own kin might be pitiable, certainly. And abhorrent behavior on the part of the pack leaders. But it was not something she would have moved herself to interfere with, royal prince or not.

However, her hatchlings' fate _did_ depend on the survival of the boy. And that changed everything.

Though not, apparently, for the Lion Turtle. She frowned at the shell her young ones rested on. The Lion-Turtle had not yet deigned to show them his true nature; neither to aid the young human, nor telling her hatchlings their true names. The first could be forgiven- humans were ever unpredictable, and she also preferred to keep herself concealed.

The second… the Dragon Mother growled.

The unnamed were _weak_. Vulnerable. Prey to any malicious creatures that wished to sip at their strength.

And the Lion-Turtle was hardly ignorant of this danger- he might be the last of his kind now, but there had been a time when his race had young ones. To consign a dragon to the fate of the unnamed- a short, cursed life- to never allow them the honor of showing their strength of an open fight…

The Dragon Mother reconsidered her decision to keep her temper checked. This was not a matter that could be ignored.

She regarded the human once more, and ruefully acknowledged that- while certainly not a protector _she_ would have arranged for her young ones, blast Agni and his plans- at least his failures were of ability, rather than will. Her hatchlings choice to acknowledge him as a nestmate was… at least somewhat understandable. Perhaps he would grow into strength.

With an inaudible sigh, she granted him a warm and ghostly breath, and watched as his color began to return. Then the Dragon Mother slipped away.

She would be having _words_ with the old Lion-Turtle.

* * *

To his great consternation, Zuko did not wake up in the same place he had fallen asleep. He could tell as much even before he opened his eyes, and had the sneaking suspicion the dragons had decided to drag him to another part of the island while he was busy being ill. Zuko made a soft grumble and readied a bleary glare for whichever dragon he happened to see first. He opened his eyes.

…It took him a few seconds, but eventually it registered that he was not, in fact, glaring at a dragon. He was glaring at a… he didn't even _know_ what this was. It was terrifyingly huge, though.

"Hello, young human," the giant face boomed. "I hope you are somewhat recovered? Still, best not to strain yourself."

"What?" Zuko croaked. He looked around for the dragons before he felt the white one curled up beside him, and registered a glint of gold on his bad side. His back brushed scales as he tried to sit up, searching for the remaining dragon... who must have been making an active effort _not _to fade into the forest scenery, judging from how easily Zuko found him.

He didn't relax, exactly. (There was a _giant_ _face_ staring at him.) But it was good to know he hadn't lost anybody.

…Although Zuko kind of hoped this bit was a fever-dream, because he felt like a limp noodle and the dragons probably weren't strong enough to carry him anywhere fast if the creature turned out to be hungry.

"Not particularly hungry, no," rumbled the giant face, sounding amused. (The giant _thought_-_reading_ face!) Zuko tried to keep his thoughts respectful.

The giant face raised an eyebrow.

…Zuko tried blankly to recall what respectful behavior might actually be in this context, but he couldn't think of anything. And he wasn't sure if he couldn't think of anything because he was panicking, or because he was trying too hard to supress rude thoughts, or because they didn't exactly train members of the royal family how to be properly polite to a _giant_ _face,_ much less one that seemed to-

-_contain such awesome wonder and majesty as the one standing before him_, Zuko thought loudly, trying to quell his rising panic. Was "giant face" disrespectful, for that matter? Sear it to the depths of Koh's own cave, Zuko didn't know.

…It occurred to Zuko that thinking such curses was not, in fact, particularly polite behavior.

Well, _damn_.

(Oh, fu-)

The giant fa- _majestic entity! Of great terror and splendor!_ - sighed. "Peace, young one. I mean you no harm."

_Sure_, Zuko thought. (Respectfully.)

"This I swear by the Fires of Agni, and the spirits of my ancestors."

Ancesto-

"The Lion Turtles that have since chosen to leave this mortal plane," the Lion Turtle (so _that's_ what it was) continued somewhat testily.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," Zuko managed, as he tried to sit up and scoot backward. Best to make a quick retreat while things were going well, before he or the dragons managed to annoy this ancient spirit further. After all, the Lion Turtle hadn't promised not to hurt-

"And I do so swear not to harm you winged nestmates," the Lion-Turtle interjected, giving him a rather odd stare.

There was a pause.

"You are a very peculiar human," the Lion Turtle said at last, sounding bemused. "Perhaps it was best that I waited to make my presence known, unhappy as it made some parties."

…so this _was_ a fever dream, perhaps granted by some spiri-

"No," the Lion Turtle stated. "Your illness has been healed, and your body given strength. And your nestmates led in meditation so that they might find their true names, and thus be sheltered from the spirits."

Oh. Like the Sages did for members of the Royal family, after the first night was safely passed. Zuko really should have thought of doing this for the dragons.

"Hoshi has already found her name," the Lion Turtle added, and somehow Zuko just _knew_ Hoshi was the excitable gold dragon. He wondered what the white dragon who had hatched first would be called. Something strong and honorable, he hoped. And the green dragon needed a well-fortuned name as well, especially-

Wait, Hoshi was a _girl_?

He was a _horrible_ nestmate, really, why hadn't he-

"You had no reason to think of it," the Lion Turtle told him. "Such ignorance is not uncommon for humans, though one would expect those of the royal line to be better tutored."

Zuko carefully avoided thinking how frustrating he'd often found his tutors. (There was that particular incident with the fireball and the historical tapestry…)

"I'm certain you will be more attentive were _I _to instruct you on the nature of spirits," the Lion Turtle said. "Though it is likely such instruction would not last long. We will soon be approaching the Southern Lands, and you and your companions will thrive more easily there than upon my back."

Zuko took in the landscape around him with a new eye. He wondered if-

"By 'Southern Lands" I do not mean that I intend to abandon you on an ice plain by the Pole, but an area of the Earth Kingdom avoided by humans," the Lion Turtle said, giving him a bemused stare.

"…And yes, while such areas are often avoided for fear the tales of the fearsome beings that might inhabit such a place, it is unlikely that you will encounter anything that would willingly prey on the companion of _three dragons_. Are all young humans like this, before they grow into their strength?" the Lion Turtle asked. "The elders always seemed recklessly curious; I assumed the young would probably be worse."

Zuko didn't really have an answer. (_He_ thought he was plenty curious.)

The Lion Turtle gave him an unsettled stare. "About all the wrong things," it murmured. "Well. Perhaps humans have changed over the years. They do seem so very fond of changes."

Zuko didn't feel very fond of changes at the moment. In fact, what he most wanted to do was-

"Sleep, then" the Lion Turtle told him, amused. But there was power put behind the words, and Zuko felt himself growing drowsy.

Zuko scowled in irritation. He didn't appreciate someone tryong to make him fall asleep, no matter how pure their intent. And he wasn't going to fall asleep just becuase he was _drowsy_. What kind of prince would do that?

"Well, aren't you a strong one," the Lion murmured. "Good. You'll have need of it. But for now... _rest_. And recover."

Zuko remembered that he _wasn't _a prince, and felt an even stronger wave of drowsiness hit. Still. Adopted nestmates... didn't... fall asleep...

"Injured, foolish ones do," he heard the Lion Turtle say wryly. "We don't want you dying yet, Prince of Dragons."


End file.
